CMOM and NIH Collaboration Milestones

Fall 2008

With mutual concerns over the health and wellbeing of children, the Children’s Museum of Manhattan (CMOM) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) initiate a partnership with a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate and address the epidemic of childhood obesity in low-income communities in the United States.

CMOM receives a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to launch the EatSleepPlay™ Health Initiative and adapt the NIH’s We Can! curriculum for early childhood audiences.
CMOM receives a grant from the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund in support of the EatSleepPlay™ Health Initiative.
CMOM holds a press conference with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, NIH, IMLS, and the Office of the Mayor of New York City officially announcing the EatSleepPlay™ Health Initiative.
EatSleepPlay™ Health Initiative Press Conference with (L-R) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, U. S. Department of Health and Human Services; Karen Donato, NIH; Laurie Tisch, CMOM Board Honorary Chair; John Rhea, Chairman, New York City Housing Authority; halley k harrisburg, CMOM Board Chair; Mayor Michael Bloomberg; Andrew S. Ackerman, CMOM Executive Director; Dr. Elizabeth Nabel, NIH.
CMOM begins adapting the NIH’s We Can! curriculum into EatPlayGrow™, a CMOM/NIH/We Can! early childhood obesity prevention curriculum for children ages 6 and younger.

CMOM launches EatPlayGrow™ curriculum pilots with low-income families at three sites at East Side House Settlement in the South Bronx and initiates third party evaluations.
CMOM launches family health public programs and festivals at the Museum utilizing the EatPlayGrow™ curriculum. Partners include: DwellStudio, Lincoln Center Atrium, City University of New York’s Professional Development Institute, School of Public Health at Hunter College, The James Beard Foundation, Equinox, Whole Foods Market, and SuperSprowtz™.

CMOM receives a second IMLS grant to adapt and test the EatPlayGrow™ curriculum for home-based childcare providers who work with low-income children in New York City in partnership with the City University of New York’s Professional Development Institute.

First evaluation report confirms that the EatPlayGrow™ curriculum is effective and participants in the family engagement pilots in the South Bronx made clear changes to their purchasing preferences and food habits and showed positive shifts in attitudes and behaviors around food, physical activity, and sleep.
United Way of New York City selects CMOM as lead partner of the Healthy Eating for a Healthy Start (HEHS) initiative. Over the next two years, CMOM adapts the EatPlayGrow™ curriculum into an integrated health education program for staff and families of eight New York City Head Start centers.
CMOM begins 2-year study to test the effectiveness of its program for home-based childcare providers and conducts trainings utilizing the EatPlayGrow™ curriculum with New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s Nurse-Family Partnership.

Pilot testing of the EatPlayGrow™ curriculum begins with low-income families at Royal Castle Child Development Center, located in the Mid-City and Holly Grove neighborhoods of New Orleans.

Evaluation reports on South Bronx and New Orleans pilots continue to confirm efficacy of the EatPlayGrow™ curriculum across a variety of settings and with diverse audiences.
First Lady Michelle Obama visits Royal Castle Child Development Center in New Orleans and participates in EatPlayGrow™ curriculum pilot activities.
First Lady Michelle Obama visits Royal Castle Child Development Center in New Orleans.
CMOM opens groundbreaking new health themed exhibition—EatSleepPlay™: Building Health Every Day—which utilizes lessons found in the EatPlayGrow™ curriculum.
Children crawl through intestines to learn facts about digestion in CMOM’s EatSleepPlay™ exhibition.
Children crawl through a giant head to reach the Decision Center in CMOM’s EatSleepPlay™ exhibition.

With funding from IMLS, CMOM launches a partnership with the New York City Housing Authority to utilize the EatPlayGrow™ curriculum family engagement programs and elements of EatSleepPlay™: Building Health Every Day to transform low-income housing in East Harlem into a “hub” of community learning.

The EatPlayGrow™ curriculum, a CMOM/NIH/We Can! publication and accompanying research reports are made available through the NIH and Association of Childrens’ Museums' national networks.

NIH Publication No. 13-7818
April 2013